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Dan Barlow:

I toss 5-9. If I were playing defense it would be either A-9 or 9-K, but I'm 10 holes up, and I like having three different cuts for a dozen.

John Chambers:

You need to get to at least hole 44 to get into average position with your three counts. I would keep A-2-3-K and discard the 5-9.

DeLynn Colvert:

This early in the game, I would throw 5-9, keeping A-2-3-K, with nine chances for a 12 (or 14) hand. A 1, 2 or 3 cut will give you a chance for a skunk win.

George Rasmussen:

Although my preference is to discard 9-K, I would like to make a minimum of eight points with this hand. So I will hold 2-3-5-K and discard A-9. Cutting 2-3-4-5, any x-pointer gives me eight or more. The difference between the two discards is .4 point, so I play four points instead of three.

Michael Schell:

I'm going in +1 to my opponent's -19. Clearly offense should be my first priority. A-2-3-9 is marginally better for pure offense, but I think A-2-3-K is a reasonable choice, sacrificing a tad of offense to save more than a point in opponent's crib.

Peter Setian:

I would still keep 2-3-5-K and toss A-9. My second choice toss is 5-9. Although the hand kept cannot produce 12+ points for a great dealing position next hand, the hand will average nearly as much as the alternative, when all cuts are considered, and could still likely put you in a decent dealing position for the next hand.

HALSCRIB:

Some of the humans considered A-2-3-5, but they all ended up rejecting it. I think the humans are undervaluing their chances of winning through defense. Although dealer is starting off with a decent cushion, it's still to early to concede that he'll keep it up, especially if we spike his crib here with 9-K. With my own forward chances somewhat tenuous, I like the more balanced approach of A-2-3-5.

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Panelists

Dan Barlow won the 1980 National Open Cribbage Tournament, and made the 1985 All American Cribbage Team. His cribbage strategy articles appeared in Cribbage World for many years, and can be seen on the ACC Web site. He also provides strategy tips at MSN Gaming Zone. He has written seven books on cribbage, two of which have been glowingly reviewed in Games Magazine. All, including his latest book Winning Cribbage Tips, are available at The Cribbage Bookstore.

John Chambers was one of the original founding members of the ACC. He is a Grand Master, winner of seven major tournaments, and author of Cribbage: A New Concept, He also directs three annual tournaments: the Ocean State Cribbage Classic, New England Peer Championship and Charity Cribbage Challenge.